The brush that could squeeze out toothpaste

The brush that could squeeze out toothpaste

But it could also wipe the smile off the faces of the people at Colgate and Macleans.

For the new brush created by a Japanese inventor does away with the need for toothpaste.

Instead, it cleans our teeth by producing an electrical current inside the mouth which clears plaque from our teeth.

The brush head has two small strips of copper and magnesium embedded in it. When put in water, a chemical reaction occurs between the two metals which produces a weak electrical current of up to 1.8 volts.

The negative ions in the current attract the positive ions in the calcium that makes up the plaque, and so peels the plaque away from the teeth.

You rinse out the residue and carry on brushing to repeat the process. After the initial swill of the brush in water, the saliva in the mouth acts as a suitable conductor for the electricity.

And if that all sounds more like a painful visit to the dentist rather than a pleasant way to spend two minutes in the bathroom, a spokesman for the manufacturers promised: 'You can't feel the electric current when you clean your teeth.'

She added: 'Even if the build-up is quite large, the brush moving up and down in the mouth is enough to dislodge them.

'As the brush also sterilizes your mouth by taking away the bacteria that are in the plaque, your mouth feels cleaner for longer.'

The Proton Magnesium Toothbrush, to give it its full name, was invented by Takanori Shigihara. 'This is the first time anyone has used an electric current to clean teeth, ' he said.

The brush comes in small or medium sizes and four colours. A brush with nylon bristles costs £2.10, while the version with bristles made of horsehair costs £4.50.

It went on sale last month in Japan, and is made by Kagoshima Supersonic Technical Laboratory Co in the city of Kagoshima in the south of the country.

'We only started selling the PM Toothbrush in February but we have had many people express interest, ' said Megumi Ueno, who is in charge of international sales.

She said there were no plans yet to market the brush in Britain, but if it proves a major success then the company would look at the possibility.

Despite the claims for the brush's abilities, its makers say users should still clean their teeth twice a day - just like those of us who use old-fashioned toothpaste.